Kentucky High School Girls Basketball Media Poll: Bethlehem High joins top 10 in final week

As it begins its quest for a third straight state championship, the Sacred Heart Academy girls basketball team is No. 1 in the final Kentucky High School Basketball Media Poll.

The Valkyries (27-3) received all 16 first-place votes and are followed in the top five by Manual (25-2), Cooper (24-3), McCracken County (27-2) and Mercy (19-9).

Sacred Heart will face Highlands Latin at 5:45 p.m. Monday in a 27^th District Tournament semifinal at Atherton.

Bethlehem (23-7) joined the top 10 at the No. 10 spot, replacing Christian Academy. Bethlehem has a six-game winning streak and is the favorite to win the Fifth Region title.

The Kentucky High School Basketball Media Poll is conducted by 16 sports journalists ― one from each of the state’s 16 basketball regions. Along with the statewide top 10, voters provided top-five rankings for their respective regions.

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Here are the rankings:

Girls statewide poll

First-place votes in parentheses; records through Sunday’s games.

Rank-school (FPV)               Record       Pts      LW

1. Sacred Heart (16)               27-3         160        1

2. Manual                               25-2         144        2

3. Cooper                               24-3         126        3

4. McCracken County             27-2         109        4

5. Mercy                                  19-9          87        5

6. George Rogers Clark           21-7          82        6

7. Henderson County              22-4          66        7

8. Ryle                                      21-8         39        9

9. Covington Holy Cross          24-6         33        8

10. Bethlehem                          23-7         13       NR

Others receiving votes: Christian Academy 5, Pikeville 5, Bowling Green 4, Graves County 3, Meade County 3, Danville 1.

First Region

Chelsea Parker, The Paducah Sun

1. McCracken County

2. Graves County

3. Mayfield

4. Paducah Tilghman

5. Marshall County

Second Region

Scott Brown, YourSportsEdge.com/WKDZ-FM

1. Henderson County

2. Hopkins County Central

3. Crittenden County

4. Union County

5. Madisonville-North Hopkins

Third Region

Mark Mathis, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer

1. Meade County

2. Owensboro Catholic

3. Owensboro

4. Breckinridge County

5. Butler County

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Fourth Region

Micheal Compton, Bowling Green Daily News

1. Bowling Green

2. Barren County

3. South Warren

4. Franklin-Simpson

5. Cumberland County

Fifth Region

Josh Claywell, Bardstown Kentucky Standard/LaRue County Herald News

1. Bethlehem

2. Taylor County

3. Nelson County

4. North Hardin

5. Green County

Sixth Region

Dominique Yates, WLKY-TV

1. Mercy

2. Bullitt East

3. Whitefield Academy

4. Bullitt Central

5. North Bullitt

Seventh Region

Jason Frakes, The Courier Journal

1. Sacred Heart

2. Manual

3. Central

4. Christian Academy

5. Assumption

Eighth Region

Josiah Koenig, Oldham Era

1. Anderson County

2. Spencer County

3. Grant County

4. South Oldham

5. Simon Kenton

Ninth Region

James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer

1. Cooper

2. Ryle

3. Covington Holy Cross

4. Conner

5. Dixie Heights

10^th Region

Evan Dennison, LinkNKY.com

1. George Rogers Clark

2. Montgomery County

3. Bishop Brossart

4. Paris

5. Pendleton County

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11^th Region

Jared Peck, Lexington Herald-Leader

1. Frederick Douglass

2. Franklin County

3. Madison Central

4. Great Crossing

5. Henry Clay

12^th Region

Mike Marsee, Danville freelancer

1. Danville

2. Mercer County

3. Pulaski County

4. Southwestern

5. Danville Christian

13^th Region

Les Dixon, 13thRegionMediaNetwork.com

1. North Laurel

2. Knox Central

3. Corbin

4. South Laurel

5. Jackson County

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14^th Region

John Lowe, WYMT-TV

1. Leslie County

2. Perry County Central

3. Owsley County

4. Knott County Central

5. Wolfe County

15^th Region

Randy White, Appalachian News-Express

1. Pikeville

2. Lawrence County

3. Johnson Central

4. Paintsville

5. Pike County Central

16^th Region

Matthew Sparks, Ashland Daily Independent

1. Rowan County

2. Russell

3. Boyd County

4. Ashland Blazer

5. Lewis County

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Top teams in final Kentucky High School Girls Basketball Media Poll